This story has been updated to reflect that the UMD College Republicans aired American Sniper after SEE declined to.
This is a tale of two films and history repeating itself.
Back in 2009, the University of Maryland and the Maryland State Senate were embroiled in a controversy regarding the planned showing on campus of a pornographic film titled "Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge." State senators threatened to withdraw all university funding unless the screening was canceled. And though university officials initially relented to the pressure, despite freedom of speech concerns, they ultimately reversed course and allowed a showing to go forward.
Last month, another UMD group caved to pressure. On April 22, Student Entertainment Events (SEE), an independent and student-led organization, announced that it canceled its showing of the film "American Sniper" after the Muslim Student Association, backed by more than 300 petition signatures, protested. Members called the film "war propaganda disguised as art" that is "Islamophobic, violent and racist." They said that the movie makes a "mockery" of negative stereotypes that permeate through many communities and that its showing would only reinforce those sentiments.
"American Sniper" tells the story of Chris Kyle, an accomplished Navy SEAL sniper who served multiple tours during the Iraq War. Many have praised the film for its realism, but critics claim it is American propaganda that racially antagonizes and dehumanizes Muslims. Chris Kyle said in his memoir that he did not "give a flying [expletive] about the Iraqis" and that he "hate[d] the damn savages." Despite the controversy surrounding the film, "American Sniper" was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and has grossed more than $500 million globally, becoming the most successful war-themed film of all-time.
SEE scheduled two May screenings of the film. However, these screenings never occurred. In its cancellation notice, SEE claimed that it supports "freedom of expression and hope[d] to create space for the airing of opposing viewpoints and differing perceptions."
How exactly is freedom of expression supported when a film screening is censored? Silencing expression was one of the main criticisms of the university funding hostage crisis that occurred in 2009. There, Senate action to withhold the university's funding likely would have been met with a First Amendment constitutional challenge in the courts. While SEE is an independent, student-led organization, allowed to show and cancel screenings whenever it pleases, its decision not to screen American Sniper runs counter to the guiding principles underlying the First Amendment. These principles include the free flow and exchange of ideas.
Recognizing this, the College Republicans stepped forward to fill the gap, and a screening was held a week ago, according to The Diamondback student newspaper.
"Censorship is horrible for a college campus," Breyer Hillegas, president of the University of Maryland's College Republicans chapter told a reporter. "Colleges are supposed to present everything and expose the students to everything. SEE's decision set a precedent to say if any small group objects to something then it's OK to limit its exposure to students."
Forums that allow for public discourse are coveted and endorsed by the United States Supreme Court, especially on college campuses where many students experience their first dose of diversity. Here, that principle was curbed and silenced by SEE, likely out of fear of demonstration and protest. While such protest is also part of the democratic process, SEE should have shown that it truly supports freedom of expression by screening American Sniper as it originally intended. It could have followed these screenings with debate in order to have the hard conversations regarding racial stereotypes. Instead, the organization chose to kick those conversations down the road in favor of placating members of the student body. This does little to solve the problem of racial stereotyping that the Muslim Student Association wishes to address.
Justin Greer is a second year law student at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. His email is justin.greer@umaryland.edu. A version of this article originally appeared in the University of Maryland student newspaper, The Diamondback.